Rangers acquire lefty reliever Hottovy from Royals

By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers have acquired left-handed reliever Tommy Hottovy from the Royals for a player to be named and cash considerations.

Hottovy, 31, has pitched in 17 games for the Royals and Red Sox over the past two seasons, posting a 4.05 ERA. Left-handed batters have hit .259 off him while right-handers batted .333. In 13 1/3 innings, he walked eight and struck out eight.

Hottovy pitched in 41 games at Triple-A Omaha this past season, going 2-2 with a 2.52 ERA and seven saves. Opponents hit .221 off him with 16 walks and 61 strikeouts in 50 innings. He was selected to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team at midseason.

He's originally from the Kansas City area.

"It's hard to beat that -- going to games as a kid and then getting to be part of the team and the organization," Hottovy said about playing for the Royals. "It's just one of those things that couldn't have worked out any better and I really had a blast in the time that I was here. But teams make moves and the Royals needed a roster spot and it's kind of the way things worked. Fortunately, the Rangers were interested and I'm looking forward to heading down there."

Hottovy was a fourth-round pick by the Red Sox in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft out of Wichita State. He became a free agent after the 2011 season and was signed by the Royals. They designated him for assignment last Friday.

The Rangers' scouting reports describe Hottovy as a sidearming left-hander who is tough on left-handed hitters. He throws 86-90 mph, with a slider to go with his fastball. He gives the Rangers a third candidate for left-handed relief behind Robbie Ross and Michael Kirkman.